Celebrating Black History Month

Black History Month evolved as a week long event beginning the second week of February 1926. A scholar from Harvard by the name of Dr. Carter G. Woodson selected the date because of the birthdays of two important men and their strong impact on the black population. They were known as Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Today the four week celebration continues as Black History Month during the month of February.
http://www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory.

Bibliography:
Grimes, Nikki and Michael Bryant (ill.). 1996. Come Sunday. Michigan: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, ISBN 0802851088

Introduction:

Nikki Grimes is an African-American who grew up in New York. She began writing poetry at the age of six. She has written for children and adults, has read and appeared on an International level. She has received many awards including the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award, the ALA Notable Award, Bank Street College Book of the Year and NAACP Image Award Finalist in 1993. Her book “Come Sunday” is an ALA Notable.

http://www.visitingauthors.com/authors/grimes_nikki/grimes_nikki_bio.html.

Come Sunday is the story of an African-American young girl around age eight who gives a detailed account of her Sunday encounter at church as she is awakened by her mother to get ready for church and the detailed accounts of activities and people that she encounters at Paradise Baptist Church.

The watercolor illustrations are bright and colorful, flowing well throughout the text giving the reader a visual image of LaTasha’s Sunday life at home and in the church. The pictures are warm and welcoming to anyone who visits Paradise Baptist Church through these poems. The “blue-haired” ladies bring back memories, laughter and visual images of elderly women with blue-hair.

Professional Reviews:

Publishers Weekly
Nikki Grimes recounts LaTasha's Sunday adventures in ParadiseBaptist Church from rising in the
morning, greeting the blue-haired ladies at church, to the soft and powerful voice of the visiting lady preacher, the church offering, a baptism, a church supper and finally home to bed, Grimes brings the experience of Sundays at church to life. Reverent, funny and wildly energetic all at the same time, this is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life. Ages 5-9.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4. Fourteen short poems narrated by an African-American girl that concentrate mostly on preparing for and going to church with family and friends. Two poems, "On the March" and "Jubilation," catch the lively musical experience of this traditional black church. The people are of all ages and are dressed in their most colorful best. Light flows through stained-glass windows. Grimes's topical poems are short and down-to-earth enough to engage children and occasionally will sweep them along with a bouncy rhythm or a spark of recognition that brings LaTasha's Sunday to life.
Both the text and pictures evoke a celebration of one ethnic and religious group.

Nikki Grimes additional works of many include:

A POCKETFUL OF POEMS (Clarion)
MY MAN BLUE (Dial)
MEET DANITRA BROWN (Lothrop)

Extension:

In the school, many issues are raised with discussion of spiritual beliefs and the violation of one’s rights.
Children could discuss this book in a Sunday School class or at the Public Library as a comparative analysis of each child’s church life and spiritual encounters of their church denomination. Have the children drawn pictures or describe their church and discuss likeness and differences of each.

Students could extend from the daily Sunday life, giving accounts of life in school and the daily activities associated with teachers, students, families etc. Draw pictures, write poems, discuss how their lives are different at home and school.

Read additional books to the students and discuss Black History Month. A topic that arose on Television discussing Black History Month is famous inventors and the many things invented by African-Americans. The ironing board, oscillating water sprinkler….can you find more??